Men watching soaps: so what?

It all started as we watched a school quiz with the guys, the presenter was asking them to name the famous people on the screen.

The face of the famous telenova star was put on the screen; all the guys were chasing blanks. I confidently blurted out; it’s Erick Elias, Antonio in El Cuepo Del Deseo and Nickolas in the La Tomenta El Paraiso. The guys looked at me like I had just cursed the pope and just like that, my secret was out!! I watch soaps.

So, does that make me any less of a man?

TV soaps were originally produced to target women, in fact, the ‘soap” bit of it came about as a fact that all soaps were originally sponsored by beauty product manufacturers.

In their minds, the emotional feelings of a strong woman character who fights for her true love….. With a predetermined and foreseeable conclusion appeals to women… so they thought.

Much as men are reluctant to admit, many of them watch soaps these days.

But before we get into the social stigma, we need to know how men start watching soaps.

For Joe Mukasa, it’s when he sat next to his sister who was watching an opera; he somehow got into the story line and damn, that ending clif hanger….. really?

Others, it all started by recognizing someone among the characters, “hey isn’t that Salvador?” and then giving a damn about what they are doing, “wasn’t he sleeping with Angela yesterday?” Why is he with Lorenzo now?” before they knew, they were sitting down to watch segments of the lives of these imaginary chaps.

Personally, I will blame the soap culture on my family (just like all the other things in my life). By family I mean my Mum and pretty sisters, they made sure I watched; All my children, Guiding light, Days of our lives, Bold and Beautiful, Wild rose, Rich also cry, Young and restless to Sunset Beach and Passions.

I was always confused by the Sunset Beach story especially that Ben and his supposedly twin brother Derrick but I couldn’t disturb my mother or sisters with questions, they would immediately shush me thus I taught myself how to listen and interpret these soaps.

Though Natasha Karungi, an ardent soap opera addict wishes to differ. According to her just like wrestling, law and order, Hostel or Agataaliko Nfufu, men watch soaps to simply get a break from the long day work.

“Since they are not dedicated to the story line, they won’t notice when one soap ends and another one starts. For them the story is the same, they confuse the faces too; a man won’t easily tell that unlucky Lola is different from the maid in Manhattan thus end up entangled in more than one similar story line and the poor guy is unknowingly a fan of multiple soaps.

Though, is there anything wrong with men watching soaps? Then what’s the social stigma that real men can’t watch them?

I think these are questions this article won’t answer but for any man craving for a TV soap, you don’t have to live in the hide out. Watching them doesn’t make you less manly or gay, its entertainment just like that Bend over video.

Lastly, to all the men that watched Beautiful but Unlucky finale on their phone TVs, then abused it by day, kale muli bakabi.